Roxanne Says Please Rid Us of Instant Replay

I recently read a not so surprising statistic. The Tampa Bay Rays are leading the league in longest games. Blame it on slow Rays pitchers, extra innings…oh, and instant replay. Just a little over 40 games into the season and I’m tired of instant replay. Send it back. Did it really solve a pervasive problem? Were missed calls ruining the game? No more than inconsistent strike zones and we haven’t fixed that. And how about the unnecessary posturing that comes along with it? Mangers killing time on the field, while a team assistant decides whether or not a play will be reviewed. That “manager behavior” isn’t really all that entertaining. But you know what is entertaining? Dirt-kicking, foul-word-flying, manager temper tantrums. That is fun! Unfortunately, we won’t get to see as much of that because there won’t be opportunities for managers to have meltdowns in reaction to botched calls. No one needs to argue the umpire. He’ll just say, “Challenge it!”

You see, the issues is bigger than the actual review process. In this new instant replay world, there’s this cloud of hesitancy hanging over the field, invading the game.

By the way, why aren’t young people finding as much interest in golf as previous generations did? Because they don’t have the attention spans! You want to improve baseball? Bring in slow play marshals. I’m all for coming up with the right answer. I just don’t have all day or night to do it.